Along an assembly line, various types of articles, such as for example, diapers and other absorbent articles, may be assembled by adding components to and/or otherwise modifying an advancing, continuous web of material. For example, in some processes, advancing webs of material are combined with other advancing webs of material. In other examples, individual components created from advancing webs of material are combined with advancing webs of material, which in turn, are then combined with other advancing webs of material. In some cases, individual components created from advancing web or webs are combined with other individual components created from other advancing web or webs. Webs of material and component parts used to manufacture diapers may include: backsheets, topsheets, leg cuffs, waist bands, absorbent core components, front and/or back ears, fastening components, and various types of elastic webs and components such as leg elastics, barrier leg cuff elastics, stretch side panels, and waist elastics. Once the desired component parts are assembled, the advancing web(s) and component parts are subjected to a final knife cut to separate the web(s) into discrete diapers or other absorbent articles.
In some converting configurations, discrete chassis spaced apart from each other are advanced in a machine direction and are arranged with a longitudinal axis parallel with the cross direction. Opposing waist regions of discrete chasses are then connected with continuous lengths of elastically extendable front and back belt webs advancing in the machine direction. While connected with the chassis, the front and back belt webs are maintained in a fully stretched condition along the machine direction, forming a continuous length of absorbent articles. The continuous length of absorbent articles may then be folded in a cross direction. During the folding process in some converting configurations, one of the front and back belt webs is folded 180° into a facing relationship with the opposing belt. However, the web path length of one of the belt webs may be longer than the opposing belt web. Such differing web path lengths may create problems associated with bringing the belt webs together in a desired alignment.
Consequently, it would be beneficial to provide a method and apparatus for folding a continuous length of absorbent articles that provides a reduction in mismatched web travel paths during the production process.